"Many Vietnamese youngsters enjoy computer games and movies much more than books. They think literary works are too serious and boring when all they want is entertainment," he said.

"Young writers like me need to change this predicament. We should create more suitable books for young readers."

Organised by the Thanh Nien (Young People) Publishing House and the Van Nghe (Literary and Arts) Magazine, the fiction competition welcomed both novels and short stories, most of which explored social problems facing today’s youngsters.

Second prize went to a novel by newcomer Nguyen Thi Diep Mai, Tra Hoa Hong Cho Dat (Giving Roses Back to the Land).

Mai, a resident of the Mekong Delta’s Kien Giang Province, happily accepted the prize for her first submission to a writing competition.

Four writers from HCM City and Ha Noi shared third prize.

Organisers said they were impressed by the caliber of submissions by young and writers’ submissions.